the inner workings of stardust
by Symphony's Feather
Summary: 40 snippets between the leader and the genius. — Shiro/Pidge.


**A/N: IT'S BEEN LIKE 10 BILLION YEARS BUT I'M BACK. And with this crazy fandom, no less.**

 **I call these "snippets" in the summary because not all of them are strictly one-line sentences. Because I just can't cut down on words. I chose these "prompts" based on a generator that actually spits out eight words at a time and worked from those.**

 **A note about ages : in this story and in other shidge fic I write, Shiro is aged down. In this fic, he is 19; Pidge is 15/16.**

 **Reviews relieve some of my crushing self-doubt as a young writer.**

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the inner workings of stardust

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 **i. patronize**

She's used to being condescended for her height—even Lance has called her _shorty_ and _munchkin_ a few times too many—but when Shiro looks at her with pride in his eyes, she feels taller than ever.

 **ii. blame**

"I used to blame you, y'know," she said quietly. "They said it was pilot error, not Galra."

 **iii. computer**

She wishes her emotions were more logical: a line of code that executed an action rather than rooting her in place.

 **iv. torment**

The nightmares are bad, but it's worse when he hears a panicked _takashi, wake up_ and almost says _matt_? before he opens his eyes.

 **v. glasses**

"I don't really need them," she says shyly. "Good," he says, and gently removes the frames so he can kiss her.

 **vi. defy**

"Pidge," he says forcefully, desperation just under the surface, "don't do this—"

 **vii. eradicate**

"Did we get them all?" she demands, and exhausted as she looks under the helmet, monster guts smeared on her armor, Shiro can't help but think that she looks beautiful all the same.

 **viii. assist**

"Let me help you," he says gently, when he finds her poring over Galra prisoner logs at 3 AM.

 **ix. gifted**

"Pidge, you're a genius!" she hears over the comms, and flushes with pride.

 **x. tiny**

She looks so _small_ when they pull her from the rubble; Shiro feels an iron band tighten around his heart.

 **xi. insult**

"There's a difference between courage and stupidity," she seethes, and he suddenly sees how scared she was.

 **xii. glistening**

Stumbling into the training room at 1 AM was _not_ a good idea; Pidge frantically recites the periodic table in her head to take her mind off Shiro's _very bare chest_.

 **xiii. rigid**

"Relax," he says quietly, putting a hand on her tense shoulders. "We'll find them. I promise."

 **xiv. delirious**

She cries out for her brother, her father in her sleep, and Shiro wishes the pods could block out dreams just as well as pain.

 **xv. coffee**

They've all learned to keep their distance from the Green Paladin before she's had her coffee in the morning, so even Keith is flabbergasted that Shiro's holding a semi-pleasant conversation with her right now.

 **xvi. raw**

Shiro is the Champion, the Black Paladin, the Leader of Voltron—but right now, shaking and gasping for air, Pidge can only see his ragged edges, raw underneath the stripped-away titles.

 **xvii. exotic**

"The artistry—the elegance—the engineering is so _pretty_ ," Pidge gushes, and Shiro smiles and thinks _yes you are_.

 **xviii. alluring**

"You mean—you're _not_ into the princess?" she blurts out.

 **xix. wind**

Pidge thinks that the Black Lion couldn't have chosen better—Shiro is a breath of fresh air against the smell of smoke and blood; a commanding wind in the face of chaos; a cool breeze that shores them up against exhaustion and despair.

 **xx. deceive**

"When did you know?" she asks. "From the first," he replies.

 **xxi. consider**

He hasn't given much thought to what he'll do after the war, but he has an idea.

 **xxii. forest**

He wouldn't have pegged the Green Paladin to be Pidge, at first glance, but he's seen her grow into it: she is full of surprises, small but resilient, using every part of her arsenal to reach a solution.

 **xxiii. delight**

 _Tadaima_ , he hears her call from the door one day, and in his startled happiness an _okaeri_ slips from his lips in response.

 **xxiv. deafening**

The only thing she can hear in her pounding heartbeat in her ears as she waits nervously for his response.

 **xxv. entangle**

"Five more minutes," she mumbles, rolling over; he laughs quietly into her sleep-mussed hair.

 **xxvi. suppress**

She sees the concern with which he looks at the princess, and tries to shut off the hurt that rises.

 **xxvii. distress**

She trusts the other Paladins, of _course_ she does—but when it's one against three or five or ten and she's _this_ close to panic, hearing Shiro's steady "I've got you" brings a security like nothing else.

 **xxviii. frustrate**

He's exhausted, mind blank, trying not to scream at the impenetrable puzzle of the situation. "Go to bed," Pidge says firmly, raising her eyebrows when he starts to protest. "Trust me, I'll figure it out." And he does.

 **xxix. shivering**

It's only after the particularly tough battles that the adrenalin wears off and she can't stop shaking—but Shiro presses a hand to her shoulder and stays until the tremors stop.

 **xxx. mouse**

"Oh, I _see_ ," Allura murmured knowingly over the squeaks, and slid her gaze from the Black to the Green Paladin and then back again. " _Very_ interesting indeed."

 **xxxi. brave**

Shiro doesn't understand how she can be so brave sometimes—Pidge just smiles and says, "I get it from you."

 **xxxii. approach**

"Hey, Shiro!" Pidge laughs, _very casually_ grinding her toe into Lance's foot. "How's—how are you today?"

 **xxxiii. addle**

He glances at Pidge's wide eyes and brilliant smile, and promptly loses his train of thought.

 **xxxiv. screeching**

Lance stares at them both, slack-jawed, before he goes _screaming_ down the hall ( _my eyes, MY EYES_ ); Shiro and Pidge exchange a long, startled glance before the helpless laughter takes them both.

 **xxxv. surprise**

"Oh," Shiro says dazedly, the press of her lips on his cheek still imprinted in his mind; and then, as the hangar doors slide shut behind her, "wait, Pidge— _Katie_ —"

 **xxxvi. train**

Both of them are surprised when she knocks him flat on his back in the training room. Shiro huffs a laugh and says, "Well-fought," and Pidge feels her face heat as she grips his hand and pulls him up.

 **xxxvii. evade**

"Y'know," he says quietly, "evasive maneuvers are for the battlefield only."

 **xxxviii. bribe**

"If you keep your mouth shut," Pidge hisses to a slightly terrified Lance, "I'll put whatever gadget you want on Blue."

 **xxxix. lead**

Shiro is a natural leader—he just needs to stop stepping on her toes as they waltz or she is _actually going to pull her bayard on him, no I'm not kidding, Takashi_.

 **xl**. **name**

The Galra sneer _paladin scum_ ; the Olkari proudly label her as _one of their own_. Lance and Hunk call her _the smart one_ , while Keith rolls his eyes and claims _she's just Pidge_. But only Shiro calls her _Katie_ , and looks at her like none of the others when he does.

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 **Question: Which one of these snippets would you like to see me craft into a larger story? Let me know in a review!**


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